Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[pennyJo1960]

I went to see the two Light Sussex hens. The cretin that owns them got three during lockdown so they didn't run out of eggs. A sad but familier story. One has already died and the two I saw will be following shortly.
They were sick and the person who owns them knows they are sick and is trying to avoid the responsiblilty of dealing with them. Disgusting really. I came away very angry. In other circumstances I would have taken them but it looked like Mycoplasma and I couldn't take the risk of it being passed on to Henry, Fret and Carbon.
I explained to the owner what I thought the problem is and how best to go about looking after them. I mentioned the vet word and the money word in one sentance and judging from the way the owner recoiled at both I doubt the poor creatures are going to benefit from either. It was hard just to walk away without doing the owner an injury.

Took awhile to sit back down. Birds needed water.
Crawled up a ladder searching for why my new coop leaked so d*mn bad.
Found 2 screws not connected to wood, I had sealant in one pocket and a power drill in the other. Yes I hope I resolved the issue.
My birds I talk to them I like to put water in the freezer drawer out in the run.
It is full of mud they great joy is to stand it drink it have fun. I do this because I can.

The ones you talk of are the reason some should not pro create but do.

 

[MrsNorthie]

That cat would sit in your lap purring away while being petted then give a good scratch and walk away, still purring.

Bloody cats! Purring out of spite!

4 hours?

4 hours of working, (2 in the morning, 2 at night.), feeding, cleaning, changing water, I actually probably spend 7 -8 hours a day with the chickens, after I do all the work stuff, I sit with them, giving treats and having a chat. I don't sleep much. The dogs spend the day in and out of my office, keeping me company, forcing me to take breaks every now and then for nose boops. The cats sleep...LOL

 

[ManueB]

I live in a nation of laws and hope. Ultimately, I am responsible for my own actions. I will continue to trudge this path of service, as i am sure it kept me from stooping lower.
I too am stymied and heartbroken by certain human behavior. Just don't want it to be my own. That karma is a b*tch.

I'm sorry you went through this and I think you are right. While I don't believe in turning the other cheek, answering by violence to violence leads to... what ? Our own extinction?
When I was in the city I did all my commutes by bike. The last years, I was bullied, insulted, threatened every single day by drivers and motorcycle riders. ( And I think I was a relatively safe biker). I used to just wave, smile, and say "have a nice day too!". One day I snapped and yelled horrible stuff at the guy who called me names...that day I knew I had to leave the city to remain sane.

I'm still missing Lima. Even though compared to many of the chickens I've cared for I knew her a relatively short time she embodied all the hopes I had for the recovery of Battery Hens from their mistreatment and abuse

I think she still embodies that for all of us. She did not recover from physical abuse as was obvious from her looks. But she was a free soul chicken if there ever was one, and reading her whereabouts you could see she enjoyed every moment of it all.

How come that they are so attached to their own pets and have no respect for animals that are kept for the grocery store?

For the same reason that many people will grieve for their family and friends loss, feel sad for their neighbors, and not care for the thousands that die..elsewhere.

I have a new tree hugger! Kara will likely be too heavy to do that for long though.

 

[lightm]

It's been a month since Skeksis died. I have never cried so much in my life. I've been pretty depressed, to the point my wife suggested I seek professional help. Which I am not going to do because I feel psychology is a sham, plus even if it was legit, no one outside of a community like BYC understands, and I will not be judged by someone from the Skeksis was "just a chicken" crowd. I have owned some 250+ animals in my life, and while I have cared for all of them, none were like Skeksis. I have never bonded with a living creature like that. From the moment I took her out of the incubator and she imprinted on me, it was a love that was pure and good. I will always miss her.

I gave the flock to a pair of vegetarians in FL, and now I am up in the suburban hells of NJ doomed to a chickenless existence, which is not helping with the depression.

I do thank everyone for their condolences. I no longer have chickens to take pics and video of, but I will still follow this thread, I just won't be contributing much.

Thank you for checking in. I am tearing up. Given your bonding and love with Skeksis, your depression is reasonable so I tend to agree with you on seeking psychiatrists. It is hard but time will heal.

My husband is in deep love with our chicken Light. He already announced to me that he'd go into long depression when Light dies. He said he has never loved an animal this much. He loved his childhood dog; he loved all his cats; but nothing like how he is loving Light. So I hope you don't take offense when I say I think I may understand your pain.

I hope BYC is giving you a lot of support and comfort.

 

[lightm]

We do the same. We do not really spend much at a traditional grocery store. I found a company that basically acts as co-op to help American ranchers and farmers ship their meat all over the US, instead of selling to big meat production facilities as a way to avoid factory farm products. The quality is way better than the grocery and the prices are comparable and sometimes less (I am a sucker for a sale.).

We are going to try to grow veg all winter long, creating little green-house tunnels over our raised beds.

My husband wants to raise a couple of pigs and eventually a beef cow or 2, but I am not really sure about that. It is a lot of work and I have a full-time job, plus a minimum of 4 hours a day in chicken chores..lol

Would you be so kind to share the name of this company? We are buying all of our meats from this one local farm 2 hours away now, but I am still curious.

 

[no fly zone]

Given your bonding and love with Skeksis, your depression is reasonable so I tend to agree with you on seeking psychiatrists.

Hard pass.

 

[Shadrach]

Hard pass.

I lost all my chicken friends when I had to leave Catalonia. Ten years of living with them, watching them learn, getting to know their chicks and watching each new generation grow. Years of friendship. All those lovely roosters. I couldn't face BYC for months.
Find a way to get back to what made you happy. There is usually a path there somewhere. It might be a hard path but at least you'll know why you are going there which is more than most seem to.

 

[BDutch]

baby Skeksis napping in my hand (still has her egg tooth)View attachment 3588741

It doesn’t bring back Skeksis… But is it an idea to consider the smallest chicken on earth?:
Seramas like to fly so building your coop upward can give them enough space and keep them happy and active. Each chicken should have [B]around 2 square feet of coop space inside the coop[/B]. This will give them enough room to move around and not get cramped or picked on. For perches you should give them each six inches

 

[RoyalChick]

Would you be so kind to share the name of this company? We are buying all of our meats from this one local farm 2 hours away now, but I am still curious.

View attachment 3589544

I too am interested.
I don’t eat much meat but try to buy from farms near me when I do.
A guy has recently started a service that will deliver to your house from the local farms. You order what you want and from which farm and he drops it by on Thursday afternoon. I have signed up but haven’t ordered anything yet.

 

[no fly zone]

It doesn’t bring back Skeksis… But is it an idea to consider the smallest chicken on earth?:
Seramas like to fly so building your coop upward can give them enough space and keep them happy and active. Each chicken should have [B]around 2 square feet of coop space inside the coop[/B]. This will give them enough room to move around and not get cramped or picked on. For perches you should give them each six inches

My agreement with my wife was that Skeksis was supposed to be our last chicken. Plus these clowns here in NJ changed their chicken laws. Now you have to apply for a special variance. You cannot even have a dang pet frog without a permit. Gov't overregulation is ridiculous.